USL Makes Historic Move: Promotion & Relegation Coming to U.S. Soccer
Lancaster, PA — A seismic shift is on the horizon for American soccer.
The United Soccer League (USL) has announced plans to introduce a promotion and relegation system across its divisions – a first in U.S. professional soccer – alongside the launch of a new top-tier league that will compete directly with Major League Soccer (MLS). This landmark decision has the potential to transform the soccer landscape in the United States, offering a structure akin to the rest of the world’s game and new opportunities for players and clubs from communities like Lancaster.
A Landmark Decision and a New Top-Tier League
In a historic milestone, USL team owners have voted to adopt a promotion-relegation model throughout the league’s pyramid. This means clubs in the second-tier USL Championship and third-tier USL League One will eventually be able to move up or down based on performance – a dramatic departure from the closed-league model American fans are used to. The vote on March 18th 2025, makes USL the first U.S. professional soccer entity to embrace this global sporting concept.
Hand-in-hand with this change, the USL confirmed it has secured approval to launch a Division One men’s league by 2027, which would put it on equal footing with MLS at the top of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. The new league (tentatively dubbed “USL Division One” or “USL Premier”) will operate separately from MLS but under the same U.S. Soccer Federation Division I sanctioning “Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis, calling the creation of a Division One league “a bold step forward” that aligns U.S. soccer with the structure of the global game.
Under USL’s plan, this new top tier will sit above the existing Championship (Division II) and League One (Division III), completing a three-tier pyramid. In the long run, the move “completes the USL’s tiered system” and will allow clubs to be promoted or relegated between levels based on merit. It’s a feature fans worldwide take for granted, but one that has never existed in American pro sports leagues until now. MLS, by contrast, has always been a closed league – no matter how a team performs, it cannot move up or down to another league. This fundamental difference sets the stage for a new era of competition between USL and MLS.
Why This Matters for the Growth of the Sport
Observers are calling USL’s promotion-relegation initiative a potential game-changer for growing soccer in the U.S. For one, it injects high-stakes drama into every season. In international leagues, battles to avoid relegation can be as intense as championship races. “Promotion-relegation is a hot topic… it’s got everything – drama, storylines,” noted USL Championship President Jeremy Alumbaugh at last year’s meetings, while cautioning that implementing it is complex. The new system meansevery match truly matters: clubs at the bottom will fight to avoid the drop, and ambitious lower-division clubs can dream of climbing to the top. There are real consequences for poor results and enormous rewards for success – a concept foreign to U.S. pro leagues up to now.
Sports analysts suggest this could energize fanbases and players in a way the traditional American model does not. In MLS’s closed system, the lack of relegation has been a “stabilizing force” for owners but can result in “no real sporting consequences for the club and relative apathy among fans beyond core supporters,” according to The Athletic’s Jeff Rueter. By introducing anopen system, the USL is offering something different – a structure more in line with how soccer is played worldwide. It creates a merit-based pathway that might ignite greater passion in local markets, as even smaller clubs can harbor big ambitions.
Crucially, this approach differentiates USL from MLS at a time when competition for talent, fans, and investment is heating up. “Around the world, top-tier clubs thrive in cities of all sizes, and we believe the same is possible here,” Papadakis said, emphasizing that the demand and infrastructure exist across the country for a more inclusive, community-rooted model. Unlike MLS, where expansion fees and franchise limits control who enters the top league, USL’s system would allow entry through performance on the field. (MLS’s newest team, San Diego, reportedly paid a $500 million fee just for the right to join the league.) By lowering the barrier to the top, USL could unlock investment in more markets and tap into local fan passions in a way a closed league cannot.
Approved to Compete with MLS: Changing the U.S. Soccer Landscape
The U.S. Soccer Federation’s blessing of a new Division I USL league means American soccer will have two parallel top divisions for the first time in the modern era. This development could reshape the soccer landscape. MLS, founded in 1996 after the 1994 World Cup, has long been the only Division I league. Now, the USL’s top tier (set to launch in 2027) will sit alongside MLS as another destination for top players and clubs.
Practically, multiple Division I leagues are allowed under U.S. Soccer’s structure, and USL officials have noted that they are not looking for a direct confrontation so much as an opportunity to grow the pie. “I don’t think of it as a threat to the MLS. I think we’re just gonna go and do our business,” USL President Paul McDonough said of the plan to go D1. Still, the two leagues will inevitably be compared. USL’s open pyramid could put competitive pressure on MLS – on the field and in the marketplace. Clubs moving up from the USL Championship to the USL’s Division One will bolster the pool of top-tier teams, potentially giving more American players a chance to play at a high level without needing to go abroad or wait for an MLS expansion slot.
Soccer insiders say having a rival top division might accelerate development of the sport. Fans in cities without an MLS team (for example, many mid-sized markets across the country) could now aspire to see their local club reach Division I via USL. At the same time, MLS will remain a separate entity; there are no plans to intertwine MLS and USL via promotion/relegation, and given MLS’s single-entity structure and hefty franchise investments, the MLS clubs won’t be subject to any relegation risk. In other words, don’t expect the Philadelphia Union or other MLS mainstays to suddenly swap places with USL teams. Instead, the USL is building a parallel avenue to the top – one that might eventually produce its own champions, its own superstar players, and perhaps a healthy rivalry with MLS for the spotlight of American soccer.
Riding the Wave of World Cup Excitement
This bold move by USL comes at a moment of surging soccer enthusiasm in the United States. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be hosted on American soil (along with Canada and Mexico), interest in the sport is at an all-time high. Youth participation is rising, TV ratings for major matches have grown, and new investors are pouring money into clubs and infrastructure. The USL explicitly cited the upcoming World Cup as a catalyst, noting that these global events are fueling unprecedented momentum: “Interest in soccer in the United States is at an all-time high, fueled by rising participation rates, increased media exposure, and growing anticipation for major international events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” the league said in a recent statement.
By the time the World Cup kicks off in summer 2026, the USL will be deep into preparations for its new Division One launch. The timing is intentional – the wave of casual fans and worldwide attention that a home World Cup brings could be transformational. U.S. Soccer officials have welcomed the expansion of the pro landscape. “The continued investment into the game reflects the strength of the United States as a soccer country, which will only accelerate as we build towards... the 2026 World Cup,” U.S. Soccer noted, adding that they “welcome innovation and growth” like USL’s new league. More high-level teams in more cities can help capture the World Cup buzz and sustain it for years afterward.
For Lancaster FC and communities across Pennsylvania, the World Cup’s excitement won’t just be on TV – it could spark new local opportunities. Interest in local clubs often surges around big international events. USL’s expansion looks to capitalize on that growing soccer culture, giving new outlets for fans and players inspired by the global stage. The hope is that a Lancaster fan who falls in love with soccer during World Cup 2026 might find their place at LFC by 2027 as we continue to develop our USL Academy system and push toward bringing professional soccer to Lancaster through USL League One.
What It Means for Local Players and USL Academy Clubs
Perhaps the most heartening aspect of USL’s announcement is what it promises for player development and youth pathways. The United Soccer League has long billed itself as a community-driven league, and it operates the first and only comprehensive youth-to-pro system under one umbrella in U.S. soccer. Many USL clubs, including those in Pennsylvania, run USL Academy programs to train local talent. For clubs like ours at Lancaster FC – which fields teams in youth competitions and the USL Academy League – this new structure validates the work being done at the grassroots level. It means that a talented teenager from Lancaster could realistically climb the ladder: from a local academy team, to a USL League One roster, to the USL Championship, and one day even to the Division One league, all without leaving the USL family.
USL officials have emphasized building as many youth-to-pro pathways as possible, linking elite youth organizations with USL senior teams in every division. Now, with promotion and relegation on the horizon, those pathways may become even more valuable. Ambitious clubs will have an incentive to develop homegrown players who can help win games and push the team to higher levels. “Produce Players” is a core mission of the USL Academy system – to increase the number and quality of locally produced talents for USL clubs, and even create world-class players able to compete at the highest level. The league’s new structure will only reinforce that mission: a club that nurtures a great crop of young players could be rewarded with promotion and greater visibility.
Already, dozens of teenagers have gotten opportunities in USL via Academy contracts, which allow youth players to train and even play in pro matches while retaining college eligibility. According to USL, over 75 players are currently signed to academy contracts with clubs in the Championship and League One – a sign of teams’ commitment to youth development and the growing pipeline of talent in local markets. Lancaster-area families can take note: the road to the pros is expanding. Any of LFC’s players can earn an academy contract or a spot in a USL Academy Cup showcase, and find themselves on a professional field a few years later. The introduction of promotion-relegation may further motivate clubs to invest in such players, since developing a star locally could be the key to climbing the ranks without the deep pockets of a big-city franchise.
Crucially, these changes offer more opportunities close to home. In the past, a promising player from Lancaster might have felt the only way up was to join an MLS academy (such as the Philadelphia Union’s) or go overseas. Now, with the USL’s robust network of clubs and its own top division on the way, there’s a viable alternative path. A player can stay local longer, compete in the USL system, and still aspire to reach the pinnacle of American soccer. The USL’s model “empowers clubs with greater autonomy and fosters a dynamic, interconnected system – one that allows them to compete at the highest level while remaining deeply rooted in their communities,” Papadakis noted. For a community-driven club, that means the door to the top is open if you develop the talent and win on the field.
A New Era Dawns for American Soccer
As the 2026 World Cup draws near and soccer fever mounts, the USL’s bold moves have positioned it as an engine for growth and innovation in the sport. The introduction of promotion and relegation – long considered the “most feared phrase in American sports” by skeptics – signals a willingness to break the mold of U.S. pro leagues. It comes with challenges, no doubt. Executing a fair and financially stable pro/rel system will require careful planning, and not every club will climb to the top. But the vision that any club could rise through the ranks marks a radical shift, one filled with promise.
For Lancaster soccer community and LFC’s players, these national developments are more than just headlines – they represent tangible hope and excitement. Players practicing on weeknights at Penn Medicine Park can dream big, knowing the structure of the sport is evolving to create new opportunities. Parents and coaches can see a clearer roadmap for player progression. And fans, whether of the Philadelphia Union, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, or our very Lancaster FC, can look forward to a domestic soccer scene with more teams, more meaningful matches, and stories of underdogs rising.
The USL’s announcement is indeed a milestone. It signifies that U.S. soccer is growing up and embracing a more global mindset. Come 2027, when the new USL Division One league kicks off, we may witness the dawn of a new era in American soccer – one where a player from Lancaster, PA, can dare to chase the dream of reaching the top. That vision, perhaps, is the USL’s greatest contribution: renewing the belief that any community can be a soccer community and that the sky’s the limit for the sport in the United States.
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Sources:
Lizzy Becherano, ESPN.com – “USL announces plans to start new league that would rival MLS” (Feb. 13, 2025), espn.com, espn.com
Susan Lingeswaran, Sportcal – “USL gets green light to launch top-tier league to rival MLS” (Feb. 14, 2025), sportcal.com, sportcal.com
Inside World Football – “USL targets creation of Division 1 sanctioned league to rival MLS” (Feb. 14, 2025), insideworldfootball.com, insideworldfootball.com
Jeff Rueter, The Athletic (via Sports Business Journal) – “USL’s promotion/relegation plan offers something different than MLS” (May 31, 2024), sportsbusinessjournal.com, sportsbusinessjournal.com
Nicholas Murray, USLChampionship.com – “Promotion-Relegation top of mind at USL Mid-Year Meetings” (Aug. 11, 2023), uslchampionship.com, uslchampionship.com
USL Official Announcement – “United Soccer League Takes Bold Step Forward with Launch of Division One Professional Men’s League” (uslsoccer.com, 2025) uslsoccer.com, uslsoccer.com
USL Academy – Official Website (about USL Academy structure and goals) usl-academy.com, usl-academy.com
OneFootball (via Sports Illustrated/Yahoo) – “Promotion-Relegation Coming to American Professional Soccer, per report” (Mar. 19, 2025) onefootball.com
